


Keep The Home Fires Burning

by HannahPelham



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/M, WW2 AU, kind of a home fires AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 12:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25970014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannahPelham/pseuds/HannahPelham
Summary: WW2 AU (also sort of a Home Fires AU if you squint hard enough). 1940 - Shelagh Mannion and Patrick Turner live in a small village in Southern England. They're desperately in love with one another, to the knowledge of everyone except each other.
Relationships: Bernadette | Shelagh Turner/Patrick Turner
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Keep The Home Fires Burning

A gaggle of girls were standing around a noticeboard one morning in a small English village. All the windows around were taped up, the girls had gas masks in boxes slung over their shoulders. The war was nearly a year old. The girls stood in the middle of a large group, chatting about something. They stood near the village notice board, which had a brand new flyer on it.

“Can you believe it?!? A whole Squadron of attractive airmen!” One of the girls, Virginia, cried with excitement. 

“I don't think that's the main reason they're here, Ginny. I think they're probably going to be on the base because, well, they're busy. There is a war on, you know” Another one, Trixie, who was far more sensible than Virginia, replied. 

Virginia raised her eyebrow and mouthed ‘killjoy’ in Trixie’s direction. Within the group of girls stood Shelagh Mannion, slightly older than the main gaggle and far more sensible. 

“I don't see all the fuss about men in uniform, personally” She whispered, as Virginia rabbited on. 

Though she'd been trying to say it quietly, Virginia managed to hear it.

“Oh Shelagh you really don't get it do you? It's not about the uniform, it's about the bravery that comes with the uniform. Anyway, you're probably too old for them” the younger woman said. 

Virginia turned her nose up at Shelagh and walked away, her blonde hair swishing as she almost strutted down the small village street. Shelagh sighed and decided she wouldn’t let Virginia bother her. 

“Don't you listen to her, Shelagh. I know you're smitten with Dr Turner” Trixie said as she linked her arm with Shelagh and led her towards home. 

Shelagh glanced over at the Doctor's Surgery as they walked past. Trixie wasn’t wrong. Shelagh had been sweet on Dr Turner ever since he moved to the village a few years before, before the start of the War. The girls giggled and carried on up the road, parting at the crossroads, Trixie going left towards her parents house, and Shelagh going right to her little cottage. As she walked down the lane, Dr Turner cycled past, before stopping and turning around.

“Miss Mannion! What's the latest news from the village?” He called.

Shelagh walked towards the Doctor, smiling. She stopped a few feet short of his bike.

“There's a whole Squadron of Airmen coming to set up a base nearby. The other girls are rather excited about the prospect of lots of men in uniform”

Dr Turner raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“And you're not excited by this?”

“I'm excited about the prospect of some new faces around, but the uniform thing? I don't see the attraction really but I've always been the outsider” Shelagh explained. 

Shelagh smiled at Dr Turner. She walked back towards her cottage, listening to the wheels of his bicycle on the country lane. As she slipped the key into the lock, she looked down the lane and saw him looking up towards her house. She gave him a small wave, and almost grinned as he waved back. Shelagh sighed deeply as she leant on the closed door, thinking about Dr Turner. Everybody in the village knew she was sweet on him, and he was sweet on her. The only people who don't seem to realise were Shelagh and the good Doctor themselves. 

\---

Trixie sat with a few of the other girls, trying to come up with a plan. They were determined to get Shelagh and Dr Turner to realise they were in love with each other, to get all the pining and agonising done, to let them be happy together. 

“You know what, girls? I think I've got it!” Trixie cried after hours and hours of agonising over what to do, over a cup of tea and whatever biscuits the girls could get their hands on. 

“Oh?” Cynthia, one of the other girls, replied. 

“I'll invite Shelagh out for tea, and Dr Turner. I'll tell him to turn up 5 minutes after Shelagh. I excuse myself as I see him arrive, and hopefully they have tea and a discussion of sorts” She explained. She knew it was a bit of a hair-brained scheme but she thought she ought to try. 

“Well, it's a long shot but you never know” Cynthia replied, taking another biscuit from the plate on the coffee table. 

\---

Shelagh sat at a small table with Trixie, who kept anxiously looking towards the door. After a few moments she excused herself, and Shelagh found herself sitting at the table alone. She was very surprised when Dr Turner walked through the door. She smiled at him, and he walked over.

“Hello Miss Mannion! What a lovely surprise. I was meant to be meeting Miss Kingshott for some unknown reason but she's had to go off and attend to some emergency.” He said as Shelagh smiled widely at him in a way that made his heart melt. 

“How funny! I was meant to be having tea with Trixie myself. I wonder why she's suddenly run off. She didn't mention that you were coming too” Shelagh replied.

No, she didn't mention your presence to me either, not that I'm unhappy about it. I'm always delighted to see you. May I?

Dr Turner gestured to the empty seat, and Shelagh smiled widely. After getting settled and ordering their tea and cake, both the girl and the Doctor realised the situation they'd been put in by their meddling friend.

“You know what, Dr Turner?” Shelagh said, after a moment. 

“No, and you must call me Patrick” The Doctor replied. 

“Then you must call me Shelagh. Anyway, I do believe Trixie having to leave is entirely on purpose”

“Do you?” He asked, wondering where on earth she was going with this. He hoped, of course, but he had no idea. 

“Yes, I do” She replied. 

“What makes you think that, Shelagh?”

“Because she knows everything” Shelagh almost cried, “She knows how I feel about you, and I'd hazard a guess that she knows how you feel about me”

There was a pause. Dr Turner’s brain went into overdrive, wondering how on earth the woman in front of him felt. 

“And how do you feel about me, Shelagh?” He asked, nervously. 

“She knows I'm rather sweet on you…” She almost whispered in reply.

Shelagh blushed as she looked down into her teacup, not wanting to see the look on Dr Turner’s face. He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. Shelagh looked up, to see Dr Betram looking at her lovingly. Shelagh’s breath hitched in her throat.

“I'm rather sweet on you too, as it happens” He replied, making Shelagh’s face break out in a smile so wide he thought he might be having to stitch it back together. 

“Well…” Shelagh said. It was all she could manage to say. 

“Well…” the Doctor parroted in reply. 

They both looked at each other, now slightly awkward. Shelagh extracted one of her hands from his grasp and sipped her tea.

“Shelagh…” Dr Turner whispered. 

“Yes?” she replied, nervously.

“I...I love you”

“You do?”

“Yes. I do”

“I love you too, Patrick”

“You do?”

“Yes. I do. I've loved you ever since you moved to the village”

“You have?”

“Yes. I have”

“Marry me?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” She replied, wondering whether or not to believe what she was fairly sure she was hearing. 

“Will you marry me, Shelagh?”

“Yes” She replied. 

“Yes?” He checked. 

“Yes.” She confirmed. 

Dr Turner raised one of Shelagh's hands to his face, and gently pressed a kiss to her fingertips. 

“There, we’ve made a start” She said as he did so. 

They carried on drinking their tea and eating their cake, planning their life together. Trixie walked past outside, and smiled as she saw the pair of them, hand in hand.

\---

Shelagh sat in an armchair in her front room, knitting. She was using a wool very similar in colour to her pink cardigan, that she’d made herself in the early days of the war. There was some big band music playing from the gramophone in the corner. She sat quite happily, minding her own business, when there was a knock at the door. She answered it to see Dr Turner standing on the other side.

“Patrick! What a lovely surprise. Do come in, I can put the kettle on” She said happily, glad to see him. 

“Well, would you look at that! We match!” He replied. 

Dr Turner gestured to Shelagh’s cardigan, which matched his tie, and her tweed skirt, which matched his suit. They smiled lovingly at one another for a moment - still in shock at their new found situation.

“I won't today, if you don't mind. I was just popping by to see if I could book the village hall for the wedding reception, I'm going down that end of the village for a call-out. Mrs Parkinson's twins have got a fever” He explained, leaning on the door frame.

“I suppose you could, hell of a way for everybody to find out…” Shelagh replied, pretending to ponder the situation deeply.

“Of course, I had forgotten we haven't told anyone yet. We'll wait until everybody knows. Anyway, I must be going. I'll see you later?” He asked.

“Yes, see you later. I love you” She replied. 

“I love you too”

Dr Turner looked around, making sure nobody could see, before he leant down and kissed Shelagh quickly. She laughed and shook her head as he almost skipped down the lane, before getting on his bike and cycling towards the other end of the village, and Mrs Parkinson’s twins. Little did Shelagh and Dr Turner know, Virginia was watching the entire scene play out from the field across the lane. Being the village gossip, she almost saw it as her duty to make it known that Dr Turner had been seen kissing the perpetually lonely and perpetually out of touch (in Virginia’s eyes) Shelagh.

It didn’t take long for the women of the village to congregate around the war memorial when they heard that Virginia had some gossip.

‘Settle down ladies! Right, you're all here for one reason, to hear about what I saw, yes?” Virginia called as she approached the scene. 

The crowd replied with an emphatic yes. 

“Well, I was walking through Pearson fields this morning and saw something very curious. I saw Dr Turner at Shelagh Mannion's cottage”

“Perhaps she's ill and needed medication. I haven't seen Shelagh for a while” one of the older women suggested. 

“I saw Dr Turner look around, checking the coast was clear. Then, he kissed her!” Virginia exclaimed. 

The crowd made sounds of shock, and soon giggles erupted. Some women carried on with their chores, others stood around and talked with Virginia about exactly what she saw from Pearson Fields.

\---

Shelagh sat at one end of Dr Turner’'s small sofa, with a cup of tea in her hands. Dr Turner walked in from the kitchen carrying his, and sat down next to Shelagh, draping an arm over her shoulders. She placed her tea down on the small table to the left of the sofa, and loosened his tie, undoing the top button of his shirt.

“Virginia saw us this morning” Shelagh said, almost sadly. 

“What?”

“Apparently she was 'just passing through' Pearson Fields, and she saw you kiss me this morning” Shelagh explained, tucking her feet underneath her. 

“I'm assuming she told everybody in the village by lunchtime?” Dr Turner asked. 

“She gathered all the women around the war memorial around 1 this afternoon, made a formal announcement”

“How did you find out? You said you didn't go out this afternoon” 

“Trixie was there. She heard that Virginia had some gossip and wanted to hear it. To let me know” Shelagh said. She was grateful to have a friend like Trixie. 

“Ah” Dr Turner said, pragmatically, “Well, now that everybody knows something, we can get on and reserve the village hall”

“Saves us having to step out together, I suppose” Shelagh replied, taking another sip of her tea. 

“Yes, it does rather. We also need to speak to the Reverend, find a date that suits us and the Church” 

“Yes, we should make a list of all the things we need to do. I need to get a dress from somewhere. Perhaps Trixie will come with me to Weymouth next week. I have quite a lot of clothing rations so I should be able to get something rather nice” Shelagh said, almost thinking out loud. 

“You'd look wonderful if you turned up in a potato sack” Dr Turner replied, smiling widely at his fiancee. 

Shelagh leant over and kissed Dr Turner on the cheek. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and carried on telling him about her and Trixie’s up and coming trip to Weymouth. 

\---

Shelagh and Dr Turner sat at Shelagh’s small kitchen table, a week later. It was dusk outside, and the pair sat eating Humble Pie for their dinner. There was a pot of tea on the table between the two. The tea cosy was very badly knitted.

“God that tea cosy really is dreadful” Dr Turner commented halfway through a mouthful. 

“It's not bad for a first attempt at knitting something, Patrick” Shelagh replied, trying to defend her much younger self. 

“I suppose not. How was your trip with Trixie today? Successful?” He replied, changing the subject quickly. 

“Very. Dress bought and ready for the big day. It's all feeling very real now” Shelagh said, blushing deeply.

“What's the dress like?” He asked.

“You'll have to wait and see, won't you? Are you excited?” She replied - she was determined to keep her dress a secret until the big day.

“Of course, patients keep congratulating me which is lovely”

“That is lovely, everyone has been so kind about everything”

“Except Virginia”

“Virginia doesn't count, Patrick”

“No, I suppose not. Do you think she'll come?”

“She will, just to make a point. You know how she is”

Before Dr Turner could answer, the air raid siren sounds, piercing through the quiet and romantic atmosphere. Grabbing the teapot and two mugs, Shelagh followed Dr Turner out to the Anderson Shelter in the corner of the garden. They drank their tea whilst the ground shuddered above them, listening to the planes flying overhead. Neither one religious, they just hoped that their village would be spared, and that everyone would make it through the night. It reached midnight, with no sign of the all-clear. Dr Turner and Shelagh settled down for the night, resigned to spending the whole night in the small bunks of the shelter. 

Shelagh and Dr Turner were woken as the all clear sounded. They groaned and stretched, aching from the small wooden bunks of the shelter. They found the teapot and mugs from the night before, they made their way back into the house, surveying the lack of damage to the garden. Back inside, they found last night's dinner abandoned on the table, Dr Turner's jacket is hanging over the bannister, and Shelagh's nylons, neatly folded on the bottom step of the stairs.

“I should...I should go home, Shelagh” Dr Turner said sadly.

“Whyever is that?” She replied. 

“Well, you know, we're not married yet and it's not-” He started.

“If you're about to say it's not proper I'm going to hit you, Patrick. It's 4 in the morning, there's been an air raid, your bicycle is at the surgery, we're going to be husband and wife in a week. Just stay here...please?” Shelagh interrupted. 

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“See, that wasn't hard, was it?”

Dr Turner smirked and took Shelagh's outstretched hand. She led him upstairs and to bed. She set an alarm clock and the pair fell into a pleasant sleep, both secretly ecstatic to be sharing a bed, finally.

\---

  
  


Shelagh walked through the village, on her way to take Dr Turner his lunch. They’d been married for 3 weeks, and were very much still enjoying the honeymoon phase. She was walking down the lane when she ran into Mrs Parkinson. 

“Good morning Mrs Turner!” She called.

“Good morning Mrs Parkinson, how're the twins?” Shelagh replied. 

“Much better, do pass on my thanks to your husband”

“I will! Goodbye!”

Shelagh carried on down the lane, finally reaching Dr Turner's surgery. She walked in, greeting those in the waiting room, before she walked through to the Kitchen. She placed the small package down and started to make a cup of tea whilst she waited for Dr Turner to finish with his patient. She heard the patient leave, along with his wife who was in the waiting room, and the footsteps of Dr Turner got louder as he got closer to the kitchen. He walked in to see his wife pouring up a cup of tea. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I brought you lunch”

Dr Turner smiled and sighed in contentment. 

“Thank you, darling. How's your day going?” He said, leaning around her to take one of the cups of tea. 

“I've progressed a lot with my knitting, if that's what you mean” Shelagh replied. 

“Yes, that is what I meant. Are you feeling okay?” He asked. Dr Turner had a sneaking suspicion that his wife might be pregnant. 

He turned out to be right, and Timothy Patrick Turner was born eight months later. 

Everyone in the village attended the christening and celebrations. 

Except Virginia.

The Turner family survived the war unscathed - and by the time VE Day came around in May 1945, Timothy had been joined by Angela and Teddy. 

  
  
  



End file.
